I got some jig hooks for Christmas and I've been looking forward to tying some old standbys to compare the standard version to the jig version. I have a question though: do I *have* to use slotted beads on the jig hooks, or will standard beads work too? (I didn't get any slotted beads for Christmas, an error I have made Santa well aware of.)

Regular beads work fine on most jig hooks. The only issue you run into a little bit is it's a little trickier to get a clean finish at the back of the bead, since it's at a slight angle to the hook shank rather than vertical to it. But that's certainly not a showstopper.

I tie a lot of nymphs on jig hooks (I posted a box full in the "Tied Flies" thread). They do hang up less often, and personally I think they hook fish better. They're usually hooked right in the top lip.

"Our tradition is that of the first man who sneaked away to the creek when the tribe did not really need fish." - Roderick Haig-Brown

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